All posts tagged EBay

Many people shopping for new cars will balk when facing a $35,000 to $45,000 sticker price for a Nissan Leaf or Ford Focus electric car, or a Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. But collectors are willing to fork out large sums for battery-powered vehicles.

A buyer bidder recently paid $127,500 on eBay for a 1909 Walker Vehicle Co. electric delivery van. The vehicle, basically a box rolling on solid-rubber tires, is typical of delivery and commercial fleet vehicles that plied city streets 100 years ago and into the 1940s. Around that time electric vehicles including personal cars were less of a novelty than they are today.

A special-edition Mercedes-Benz SLR 722 is up for auction on EBay with a “buy it now” price of $429,998. That may be a bit of a bargain, since there were just 150 built, only a couple dozen or so were sold in the U.S. and this one was owned by former basketball star Michael Jordan.

Seriously, one could argue the asking price is a discount. According to the National Automobile Dealers Association the car, which sold new for $480,000, is worth about $449,000 today in mint condition. The ex-Jordan car (a spokeswoman confirmed Mr. Jordan no longer owns it) has just 962 on the odometer according to EBay.